Tractors, utility vehicles or zero turn mowers used for lawn care may carry a mower deck covering two or more rotary cutting blades on the lower ends of vertically oriented spindles. The blade spindles may be rotated by one or more belts and pulleys above the top surface of the deck, which may be driven by a belt and/or power take off shaft connected to the engine or other power source.
Multi-blade mower decks typically include side discharge openings in the side of the deck for grass clippings cut by the blades to exit from the deck where they are deposited onto the ground. A side discharge chute, also called a deflector or guard, may be mounted to extend laterally outwardly and downwardly over the side discharge opening. The chute may be flexible, such as a rubber or plastic material, and may direct clippings downwardly into the turf alongside the mower deck.
Belt driven attachments such as material collection systems having fans are commonly attached to multi-blade mower decks, to help grass clippings flow from a side discharge opening upwardly and rearwardly through a material collection chute into one or more containers or hoppers. In the past, drive belts for belt driven attachments have been routed around mower deck discharge chutes, requiring twisting of the attachment drive belt to operate in two or more planes. This has shortened the life of belt drive systems, made it more difficult to install belt driven attachments, and increased overall system cost. An alternative is needed that has increased life, is easier to install, and has lower cost.